1. IPCCA Indigenous Peoples’ Biocultural Climate Change Assessment
An indigenous model for biocultural assessments
Alejandro Argumedo
Asociación ANDES
Cusco, Peru

2. Overview Background and context of the IPCCA
Building a biocultural assessment
Guiding concepts
Methodology
Progress to date
Key lessons from the IPCCA

3. Context
Climate change is an emergent global phenomenon with local impacts on ecosystems and people
Living in fragile ecosystems with an intimate relationship with their territories, indigenous peoples are at the frontlines of climate change
The IPCCA is an indigenous response to the narrow mainstream approach to CC which falls short - illustrated by the failure of Copenhagen, top-down approaches and a growth in alternative, grass roots movements
Thus far there has been little inclusion of local processes – both for understanding how they link to global processes in climate change and to build appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies
The value of indigenous knowledge in understanding local processes and how they link to the global has been ignored thus far
Need to add something on the value/importance of TK

4. IPCCA as a response The IPCCA aims to contribute through:
Providing a deeper understanding of local processes and how they relate to climate change
Developing locally sound mitigation and adaptation responses, feeding into effective policies across scales
It is entirely indigenous led and managed by a Steering Committee of indigenous leaders
First local biocultural climate change evaluations began in 2009 – today there are 9 underway in a diversity of biocultural systems

5. A biocultural approach
Indigenous peoples view the world holistically
Physical, biological, cultural and spiritual spheres of life are all interconnected and are understood as one system
Quechua example – different ayllus and sacred principles that govern relationships
The focus of such a worldview and engagement with the cosmos is on relationships and processes – this can be called a biocultural approach
Biocultural diversity is a ‘product’ of the relationship - by focusing on it as a resource to be conserved it is objectified and comodified
An indigenous biocultural approach is born of an indigenous holistic understanding and practical engagement with territory as well as with rights and responsabilities

6. Biocultural concepts
The IPCCA conceptual framework which guides local biocultural assessments is based around four pillars:
An indigenous understanding of well-being as a practical philosophy of life to nurture balanced relationships of all elements within a holistic world – this is called Buen Vivir
Maintaining and nurturing a balanced relationship requires system resilience, which is achieved through processes that enable interactions between social, cultural, physical and spiritual aspects of life
Drivers of change that impact upon the biocultural system are ethical/moral, anthropogenic or earthy
A local process for understanding change and impacts must use local methods and frameworks – leading to empowerment and supporting decolonisation

7. The IPCCA Conceptual Framework
Key Concepts

8. Buen Vivir Holistic world Interculturality Livelihoods
Reciprocal relationships
Local interactions with and within ecosystems
Respecting different epistemologies, cultures, demographics
Ensuring liberation and equality in social improvement and livelihoods approach
Self-determination
Participatory democracy

9. Indigenous Resilience
Indigenous resilience is the capacity of a biocultural system to proactively engage with change and complexity in order to ensure Buen Vivir
“to be indigenous is to be resilient”
It is accomplished through:
Land/territories
Collective practices
Traditional Institutions
Customary Law
Spiritual and Ethically-based rights and responsibilities
Indigenous resilience is more than socio-ecological resilience because it is accomplished through a holistic process of biocultural systems
Seria bueno tener una “definicion”/concepto que de base a estos contenidos

10. Drivers across scales ETHICAL DRIVERS WAKA AYLLU SALLQA AYLLU
EARTHY DRIVERS
ANTHROPOGENIC DRIVERS
RUNA AYLLU

11. Biocultural Methodology
Local biocultural assessments that aim to build deep understanding of local processes in relation to climate change use a combined emancipatory, participatory and indigenous methodology
Uses local methods based on IK
Example of the Potato Park – how it developed the methodology to meet the goals of a biocutlural assessment

12. Progress to Date Local Assessments Methodologies workshop
9 sites in a diversity of biocultural systems
Using an IPCCA methodological toolkit to guide assessment processes
State of the Assessments Report by Sep 2010
Focusing on IK of climate and weather
Build coherence and methodology
All local assessments were present
Built common platform for assessment results
Create a network of indigenous peoples furthering their biocultural approach

13. Key Lessons
Indigenous knowledge and practices of the communities involved in the local assessment sites enable communities to forecast the onset of extreme weather and climate events, relying predominantly on local environmental changes.
Such knowledge and practices are vital tools that should be incorporated in the formulation of human induced climate change adaptation strategies.
A biocultural assessment is able to provide viable local adaptation and mitigation alternatives that enhance local well-being
Local biocultural approaches (which are holistic) are able to link into wider scales for responses and policy development – it bridges the local with the global

14. Thank you!